Science magazine

Kansas Standards Evolve AgainUC Balks at Campus-Wide Ban on
Eighteen months after its state educationboard adopted science standards promotingthe teaching of intelligent design (ID), Kansas
Tobacco Money for Research
is set to toss them out. Next month, a newly
the grant do not violate university policy
aligned board expects to adopt standards that
University of California (UC) has delayed
(for example, by excluding foreigners). As
voting on a plan to impose a blanket ban on
of last year, there were 19 active grants at
The change follows elections that flipped
research funding from tobacco companies.
UC supported by the tobacco industry, total-
the board’s 6–4 conservative majority to a
ing $15.8 million. (UC’s total grants and
6–4 margin for moderates (Science,
only U.S. university to forbid tobacco dol-
contracts added up to $4 billion that year.)
11 August 2006, p. 743). As a result, the
board replaced the former chair, ID proponent
anguished over the issue for 4 years before
tobacco-funding ban, however, they asked the
senate for input. That’s when things got com-
fought against the ID-tainted standards since
regents—to take a stand. Instead, the regents
plicated. “The tobacco issue put our princi-
by a committee appointed by the board that
delivered a product deemed unacceptable by
conservatives. “We’ll be glad to bring back
standards that do not contain supernatural
explanations and are in line with national and
international norms,” says Sue Gamble, a
moderate board member. “These standards
will help teachers to strengthen the teaching
–YUDHIJIT BHATTACHARJEE
ing manuscripts or threateningto cut off funding, Glantz
No Roving for Moon Rovers
Budget troubles at NASA will likely nix plans
Faculty fission. Stanton Glantz (left) would like to see a blanket ban
to send a series of sophisticated robotic rovers
on tobacco funding at UC, but James Enstrom (right) says such a ban
to the moon after the agency sends an orbiter
there next year. NASA officials blame a tight
exploration budget and the rising cost of the
punted it back to the faculty last week.
allowing a threat to academic freedom.
rovers, which were meant to find possible
“It’s a very good decision,” says James
Enstrom disagrees. “I do not feel that any
human landing sites and gather scientific
Enstrom, an epidemiologist at UC Los Angeles
tobacco funding arrangements I’ve had have
data. Industry and agency sources say that up
who uses Philip Morris money. “Academic
manipulated my academic freedom,” he says.
to half of the roughly $800 million set aside
freedom makes this a great university, and the
In 2003, Enstrom published a study in the
over the next 3 years for rover development at
faculty need time to consider this issue more
British Medical Journal that found no relation
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
thoroughly.” But Stanton Glantz, a bio-
Alabama, could go to Goddard Space Flight
engineer and antitobacco crusader at UC San
deaths. The project was partially funded by the
Francisco, turns the argument around: “The
Center for Indoor Air Research, which itself is
Research Center in Mountain View, California,
tobacco industry funds research to confuse
funded by tobacco companies. Enstrom says
to design smaller and cheaper spacecraft that
E. ENSTROM the public,” he says. “This manipulation of
the scientif ic process subverts academic
that it added an important minority opinion to
The decision to cancel the original set of
freedom and is antithetical to the fundamental
the smoking debate. “Thankfully, UC doesn’t
rovers comes just a few months after NASA
chief Michael Griffin moved the program from
funded,” he says. “My entire career has been
Ames to Marshall. That decision, sources say,
based on the academic freedom I’ve had.”
was made to please Congress’s Republican-
2003, seven units within the university sys-
dominated Alabama delegation, but the recent
regents reflected the divisiveness of the
election, which put Democrats in the driver’s
Public Health and the UC San Diego Cancer
issue. On one hand, the faculty asserted that
seat, took pressure off the agency. The remain-
“grave issues of academic freedom would
der of the would-be rover funding would cover
money. But UC’s faculty-composed Acade-
be raised” if the regents banned funding
budget shortfalls in NASA’s effort to develop a
mic Senate voided these bans in May 2005,
based solely on its source. On the other, they
launcher to replace the space shuttle, slated
for retirement in 2010. The proposed cuts are
authority to decline funding—and that they
suppressed, and that the tobacco industry
part of the agency’s 2009 budget request to
had to do it for the entire system or not at all.–ANDREW LAWLER
CREDITS (LEFT TO RIGHT): PROVIDED BY S. GLANTZ/UCSF; PROVIDED BY J. money from any source, as long as terms of
the governing body appeared as divided as
lightly, … but [accepting tobacco money]
the senate. “I believe a yes vote [on this
Institute in Buffalo, New York, says he’s dis-
ingly to send the issue back to the faculty. An
appointed with the delay. “It’s good to
academic freedom,” said Regent Jefferson
debate academic freedom,” he says, but “if
Coombs at the meeting. “It would convey a
whether a blanket tobacco funding ban truly
you can’t choose on this, you can’t choose
signal that we do not trust our world-class
faculty.” Regent Richard Blum countered
–DAVID GRIMMWith Change in the Seasons, Bird Flu Returns
High alert. Since H5N1 virus was detected in Japan this month, officials have
been checking blood samples from poultry at neighboring farms.
have dodged the bullet since its cluster of out-
6 weeks later by outbreaks in Japan. “The
breaks in 2004, confirmed that the virus hit one
outbreaks in Japan and South Korea suggest
after patients were given the drug. However,
to me free-flying birds as the most likely ori-
the Egyptian samples showing resistance were
farm on the 23rd. South Korea, which last
gin,” says Sims. Both countries are trying to
taken just 2 days after Tamiflu treatment began,
November suffered its first outbreak since con-
determine how the virus was reintroduced.
an unusually short period in which to develop
taining the virus in 2004, reported that the virus
“The reasons for these failures need to be
resistance, says NAMRU-3 commanding offi-
had turned up on a fifth poultry farm. Several
examined and the lessons applied elsewhere,”
cer Bruce Boynton. What’s more, the virus in
wild birds found dead in Hong Kong tested
says Sims. But overall, he says the speed of
both patients had a rare resistance-conferring
the response, particularly in Thailand and
mutation, called N294S, seen only in one pre-
20 January reported its fifth human death
Vietnam, “is a positive sign and shows that
from the virus in just 10 days, bringing its death
toll to 62, by far the most of any country.
In Indonesia, four of the five recent human
suggests “a more disturbing” theory: that
The increase in outbreaks in the Northern
response, the city government on 17 January
already harbored the mutated virus. If more
established pattern. The reason for the sea-
ordered residents who keep backyard poultry
sonality is still not well understood, says Les
to eat, sell, or cull their birds by the end of the
H5N1 patients who don’t respond well to
Sims, a veterinarian based in Manunda, Aus-
month or have them confiscated and destroyed.
Tamiflu. And if such a resistant strain were
tralia, who advises the U.N.’s Food and Agri-
The government is talking of gradually replac-
to spawn a pandemic, the world’s vast Tamiflu
culture Organization (FAO). It is likely to be
ing the live markets that currently account for
some complex interaction among several fac-
80% of poultry sales in the city with slaughter-
tors, including cooler temperatures enabling
houses. “It would be a sea change culturally,”
mine whether the patients had the resistant
the virus to survive longer in the environment,
says John Weaver, senior adviser to FAO in
strain before they took the drug and whether
greater poultry trade in preparation for winter
Jakarta. If done properly, he says, eliminating
virus from a third suspected H5N1 patient in
festivals, and movements of wild birds.
backyard poultry could reduce the opportunity
the household, who also died, has the same
for the virus to survive in the environment. But
mutation, Boynton says. Veterinary virolo-
Korea and Japan is particularly notable. In
he cautions against a sudden prohibition,
gists are also checking to see whether the
both the winter of 2003–’04 and this year,
which could lead smallholders to hide their
mutated virus can be found in birds in Egypt.
outbreaks in South Korea were followed 4 to
fowl and refuse to cooperate with animal dis-
–DENNIS NORMILE AND MARTIN ENSERINK

The Influence of Shagya Blood in Warmblood Breeding Submitted by Terry Hey Although rare and relatively little known in America, Shagyas have had a profound influence on European warmblood breeding programs. Studs in Trakehner, Hannover, Holstein, Holland, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Westphalia and many others have been using the Shagya for years to bring refinement to warmblood breeds.